Ubisoft’s Jade Raymond recently shared her thoughts on innovation and existing franchises, speaking to the value of well established IPs.

In an interview with the Guardian, Raymond explained that starting a new franchise involves a lot of risk, pointing out that when working with a well established IP, there is a lot more room to try out new things.

If you have a gamplay idea, a sequel is a really great way to try out innovation you might not be sure will work, because even if one new gameplay idea or tech you are trying to create doesn’t work, there’s still tons of other stuff the fans want to live through and play the next game for.

Creating a new IP is a really tough task. There’s a lot of work you have to do when you’re creating a new IP that doesn’t have to take place when you’re building on an existing franchise. You have to ask yourself many questions, and not just on the gameplay, innovation or story, but basic things like, ‘What does the character look like? What is the character’s past?’

There is a lot of work that goes into creating a new IP that you just don’t need to do if you are building on an existing IP.

Raymond went on to tease Splinter Cell fans, saying that gamers can expect an announcement regarding the franchise “in the coming months.” Here’s to hoping that Ubisoft puts their words into practice and gives us a completely fresh and unique experience with Sam Fisher – and make it available on the PS3.